In general, a hinge assembly used for a steam cleaner can be pivoted in front/rear and left/right directions. In this case, a front/rear directional pivoting action aids to push or pull a push stick assembly in slightly laid state, and a left/right directional pivoting action allows a base assembly with a pad to be swerved in a degree when it bumps against a corner or other things (for example, table's leg).
When the steam cleaner is not used, the push stick assembly is stood perpendicularly or in close to the perpendicular, and locked with a fixing member such that it cannot be pivoted in front/rear directions.
The fixing member can lock said front/rear directional pivoting action. If the fixing member is used, it is releasably fitted in a base assembly.
Hence, the fixing member should be unlocked or locked each time when the steam cleaner is used or not used. This work is very annoying.
In particular, the fixing member is unlocked during the use of steam cleaner. Therefore, since the push stick assembly tends to swerve in left/right directions when pushing or pulling it in a straight direction, a user may feel inconvenient.
In addition, since the left/right directional pivoting action is performed only along a left and right pivoting center axis, when base assembly 100 is swerved at the angle of θ to push stick assembly 300 as shown in FIG. 11, the base assembly is maintained at θ angle even if the push stick assembly is pulled back. Therefore, a user has to swerve base assembly 100 or push stick assembly 300 such that they are in line, and this work is very annoying.
Moreover, a conventional steam cleaner is primarily used to clean a wooden floor or a carpet (in some case, there is a tray to prevent a pad attachment protrusion (so-called Velcro) from being caught by a carpet when using a steam cleaner). Indeed, when cleaning floors of hard materials such as tile using such steam cleaner, smudged stains may not be cleanly removed since a pad-type cleaning cloth is only used, but a brush is not used.